{Football Friday} Canning Condiments

In my mind, tailgating is all about the condiments. Since I call Chicago my home, I cannot imagine a hot dog nestled within a bun without the accompanying pickle spear. In fact, I’d probably prefer the pickle spear in the bun… I’ve been known to make a meal out of pickles and preserves with a few slices of meat or cheese on the side as accompaniments. This is especially true when my friend Dustin attends the party.

Dustin's Pantry

Dustin could be described as the King of Condiment Canning and he shares abundantly. He doesn’t do much fruit; however, he has perfected pickling, and sauerkraut fermentation is his forte. His pantry is already bursting with: Hot Dilly Green Beans, Pickled Pepper Mix, Dill Pickle Relish, Spiced Garlic Pickles, Peach Salsa, Habanero Gold Jelly, Spiced Peaches, Sauerkraut, Kentucky Blue Pole Beans…all from his own garden, I might add. (His sweet hot Habanero Gold Jelly spread on a cracker with a little cream cheese will make you weep…and then there are his Spiced Garlic Pickles and Pickled Pepper Mix on burgers…Yum!)

Okra from Farmers Market

So this year, inspired by Dustin, I set out to be able to contribute my part to the condiment section of any tailgating buffet. I bought all the Ball canning accessories at my local Ace Hardware and started reading recipes. My garden has had issues this year. But I’ve canned a few pints of: Pickled Okra, and Bread & Butter Pickles.

It’s becoming kind of addicting. I think, “I’ve got all this bulky canning gear spread around my kitchen, I might as well keep canning instead of finding a spot to store it all!” Thus, the green tomatoes are awaiting to be made into a relish. And yesterday, I got a mess of green beans at the farmers market for Hot Dilly Beans.

Not into canning, try these super-easy (and thrify) way to make pickles: